Like Shooting a Fish in a Barrel
by Stessa
Summary: It's not always easy to get things said. At least not in the right way. Rikki had struggled to admit it to herself and to Cleo for a very long time, but it's sometimes easier said than done. How do you tell your best friend that you're in love with her?


**Like Shooting a Fish in a Barrel**

A _Cleo _& _Rikki _oneshot

written by _Stessa_

So far, today had been a good day for Rikki Chadwick. She had accomplished many things though it was only about ten thirty, and it never ceased to amaze her what one could do when one really focused on something. She'd managed to get out of bed before noon which, on its own accord, was a huge task, but she had also managed to tick her painfully pining ex-boyfriend off without even trying too hard.

She had left Zane completely mad, and walked off with a smile on her face that just wouldn't go away.

In her eyes, that was pretty damn good.

And it was certainly even better because it was a long weekend and she was going to the Juicenet café to meet Emma and Cleo for a quick juice before Emma was going off to be on her romantic weekend with Ash. Rikki found it quite amusing actually, Emma and Ash had been the ones who just couldn't get it together and start dating, but they were the ones who lasted when it came down to it.

She had given up on herself and Zane after several months of on and off which had led them nowhere. She was finally too tired to fight for it anymore, and Zane was a really nice guy, but it just wasn't meant to be with them. She had spent a lot of time trying to figure out why that was, because Zane had offered her everything, and yet she still couldn't get herself to take the final step and sleep with him. He hadn't pushed her or anything, but she could see that, in the end, it had frustrated him a bit. She just, for some reason, didn't want to, and that was what she had tried to figure out ever since she split with him – _why?_

Cleo had broken it off with Lewis again, too. They had tried dating for the second time, but it had only lasted about as long as the first time. She got so annoyed with him when they were a couple, it was so different from when they were friends; they were so different, Emma and Rikki had felt it too. But this time Lewis, luckily, hadn't been crushed as much as he had been the first time. He said he had seen it coming. Rikki didn't know why, but she felt like she should believe him.

So now the two of them were single, and Emma and Ash were all romantic and in love, going away together. Rikki wondered what she and Cleo would be doing the entire weekend – a few swims to Mako would probably be on their agenda, and who knew what else they would do? She and Cleo always got along great, because the brunette was much easier to please than their other friend. Emma had a tendency of being just a _bit_demanding.

When Rikki entered the café, Cleo and Emma were already seated in their usual booth by the side, and she crossed the floor, feeling pretty confident about herself at the moment. She took a seat next to Cleo and gave them both a smile, "What's happening?"

For some reason, there was an odd tension in the air around them.

"I just found out that my father is going to a fisherman congress for the weekend." Cleo said and nodded her head a bit, "Which means that I'll have to watch Kim for the weekend." she paused and Rikki could feel her happiness float away slightly; if Cleo had to watch Kim, then they wouldn't be able to do any of those fun things together this weekend – she'd have her arms full with her little sister.

Rikki made a face, "Oh, that sucks!" she whinged, seeing all her plans blow out the window, "I thought we were going to have fun this weekend, I was really looking forward to it."

Cleo nodded knowingly, "I know, it's completely awful, I'm sorry, Rikki."

Rikki leaned back in her seat and stubbornly crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Yeah, me too," she moped, giving Emma a teasing glare, "we get to stay here and sulk while she goes off to some secluded beach house to spend time alone with her boyfriend, talk about unfair."

Emma playfully smirked at her, "Get a boyfriend yourself and you won't have to sulk."

Rikki simply stuck her tongue out at her, and Cleo said, selflessly trying to cheer her friend up, "Well, maybe you can still come around at night. I just can't go out much, but we can hang at my place." she paused and Rikki found herself cheering slightly up - maybe all wasn't lost yet? "We can watch films and each junk food."

Rikki uncrossed her arms and decided to think positively for once, "Alright..." she said and nodded her head, "I'll come by later, I'll just have to find a way to pass time." she gave them both a sneaky smile as she thought of something new, "Maybe I'll annoy Zane a bit more, that does seem to be my favourite activity lately."

Emma shot her a stern look, "Leave him alone Rikki, you don't have to be mean."

"Please!" the curly-haired girl scoffed.

And Cleo added, with a saying look in Emma's direction, "He used to treat me badly all the time, Emma, he deserves it."

Emma shook her head at them, "He might have used to, and I don't particularly like him, but... Rikki, he's your ex-boyfriend, you should respect him more than that and not take advantage of him in his vulnerable position. He still likes you."

Rikki gave Emma a look of disbelief, completely amused by what she was saying. Who was she kidding – Zane would have done the same, had she been pining for him. Not that she liked comparing herself to him, but at some points, they were very alike, perhaps that was why they had been together for such a long time. She scoffed again, "He's still an asshole."

Emma rolled her eyes at her and took a sip of her juice while Cleo giggled into her hand.

Rikki shot the brunette a smile, before she stood up to get herself a juice like her two best friends had. It totally sucked that Cleo would have to watch Kim so much this weekend. Hopefully Kim would want to be with some of her friends or something, that way Cleo would still be able to hang out with her during the day. She'd be completely bored without her when Emma wasn't there. And of course there was always Lewis too, but the two of them alone had never been a good idea. Plus, they hadn't been hanging out with him as much since he and Cleo broke up again. They were still friends and all, it was just awkward at times.

She ordered a cranberry booster and leaned herself against the counter while waiting for Wilfred to get it made. Emma was still sipping her juice and Cleo must have gotten a phone call, for her cell was pressed against her ear, and she was listening carefully. She opened her mouth to reply to whomever it was, but Rikki couldn't hear what she was saying through the buzz at the café.

She turned back around when Wilfred placed her juice in front of her, and offering him the kindest smile she could muster, she grabbed the juice and headed back to the table, just as Cleo shut her phone close. Rikki took a seat next to her and couldn't help but notice her goofy grin, "Good news, Cleo?"

"Amazing news!" the other girl gushed and briefly looked into the ceiling in happiness, before her eyes locked with Rikki's, "Mum's picking Kim up in two hours for a weekend with her, so when my father's left, I have the house _all to myself_!"

Rikki felt her mood light up within a second as a smile conquered her face – there was no need being unhappy today, even if all the odds had been against her, everything turned out quite wonderfully when it came down to it, "Awesome! I'll be at your house all weekend."

Cleo gave her another huge smile and pulled her in for a quick sideways hug, while Emma cleared her throat across from them, "Well, I've gotta go." she said and placed her empty glass in the middle of the table. She continued then, "I hope you guys have fun this weekend, there's so much to do once you're home alone," and this point she stared particularly at Cleo, "so many things to _talk about._" she continued, empathizing the last part. And then she stood up at gave them both a smile, "I'll see you in a few days." she finished and turned around to leave, only stopping for a second to turn and give them a wave, before she was out of sight.

Rikki arched an eyebrow at the doorway she had just gone through, wondering what that had been all about. She could be pretty clueless at times, but she was sure that Emma and Cleo had just shared something secret between the two of them, she just had no idea what it had been about. Turning to look at Cleo, she shot her a confused look, "What was that about?" she questioned as she scooted onto the other side of the table – it was a bit easier to have a conversation that way.

Cleo made sure to overreact completely (which proved Rikki that there really was a secret involved); her eyes went wide and she shrugged her shoulders, "What are you talking about!?" she whined, her voice much higher than usual, "What's what about?"

"Emma." Rikki stated, like it was no big deal. Sure, she'd like to know what it was they were up to, but she wasn't about to make a big deal out of it like some other people always did. She was sure she'd find out eventually, "She just... acted completely un-Emma-like."

Cleo wrinkled her nose in that cute kind-of-way that only she could and Rikki had to tighten her jaw so she wouldn't laugh because it was so adorable, "I thought she was very Emma-like." the brunette replied. And then she looked at her wrist to check her watch (though there was no watch in sight), before she glanced back up at Rikki, "Well, I gotta go now. I have to say goodbye to Kim and to Dad, but you can come by later and we'll hang out for as long as you want to."

Rikki simply just nodded to her, as she moved off of the soft couch-kind-of-bench and placed a bill on the table, before she was out of there as well. Rikki watched her leave, and couldn't help but notice just how tanned her legs looked in those pink shorts.

_Rikki, stop it! Do you want her to see you checking her out? s_he questioned herself in anger, but before she could dwell on it for too long, she shrugged and reached for her juice. There was no point beating herself up over the fact that she was crushing on one of her best friends.

–

She arrived at Cleo's place just around five o'clock that afternoon and was happy to see that both Mr. Sertori and Kim had left – so it was just her and Cleo and she wouldn't have to make nice in front of other people. It was always much easier just to be with her friends, because she could be completely herself. Though she didn't shy away from saying what she meant even in the presence of her friends' parents, she always had to control herself a bit, otherwise they'd probably never let her come back again.

Cleo welcomed her with a huge hug and Rikki threw her bag by the door and herself on the couch, hands behind her head. She smiled up at Cleo then, "What's for dinner?" she asked her.

Cleo reached for the cordless phone on the kitchen counter and held it out, as if to get her point across, "I'm thinking pizza." she said and reached for the menu on the table as well, before she sat down, pushing Rikki's legs slightly aside, so there was room for her on the couch.

"Yum!" Rikki exclaimed and pulled the menu out of her hands quicker than she could open it, "Now when Emma's not here we can finally eat unhealthy, I say we get some fries too!"

Cleo chuckled and shook her head at her, "Emma's our friend, don't say that."

Not looking up from the menu where she was studying the different kind of pizzas, Rikki replied to her, in a simple voice, "It's the truth," she said, and not a second passed, before she continued, as she looked up at her, "hey, do you like anchovies?"

Cleo wrinkled her nose in that adorable way, "It's not my favourite thing to eat..." she trailed off, and Rikki could tell that she probably didn't like it, so it was chosen then – no anchovies.

"No worries," the rebel continued with a slight shrug, "we'll just choose something else." she scanned the menu quickly again, and settled for her second favourite, "Pineapple?"

This time Cleo smiled and nodded her head, "I love it on pizza."

Rikki closed the menu card and offered her friend another smile, "Then I think it's settled, we're having pineapple pizza." there was a pause, before she suggested (she simply couldn't help it) in a light, playful voice, "...and French fries?"

Cleo snatched the menu from her hands, "Yes, I'll call and order, why don't you go upstairs and make your bed ready just so we won't have to do it later?"

Rikki groaned – she really didn't want to think about her bed right now, it was only five fifteen! And she hated doing work before she had to, actually, she generally just hated doing work. She had hoped that maybe Cleo would have made it for her, she was way better at putting on a sheet anyway. "Do I have to?" she complained to her friend in a whiny voice.

Cleo placed both hands on her hips and shot her a look, "Come on Rikki! When you're done we'll eat pizza and watch movies – I rented some of your favourites."

Rikki's face lit up by the thought of that – she hoped that Cleo had known exactly what to rent because she had a very specific taste; it usually involved horror and most likely blood. Not that that was Cleo's thing so she couldn't be sure. Standing up from the couch to just seem a bit energetic, she asked, "What did you get?"

"I got _Jaws 1 & 2_, and I also got _When a Stranger Calls_ – is that good enough?" Cleo asked her, hope floating off her voice, and Rikki found her so unbelievably cute that it was almost too much for her. She had really tried to pick some films that she thought she'd want to watch. "You're gonna have to put up with me on top of you when I get scared, but it's good enough, right? ..._right_?"

She took a step forward and nudged her head to Cleo's shoulder in a caring motion, completely adoring the way the other girl was acting, "It's perfect, thank you Cleo." she murmured, and as she took a step back again, she couldn't help but ask, "You did rent something that you like too, didn't you? I figure, maybe we can switch choosing the movie?"

Cleo nodded her head softly, "I got a few comedies, but don't worry, they're not completely cheesy!"

"Thank you!" Rikki cheered as she went into the hallway to get the job upstairs done. She had nothing against comedies and romantic films, but when they were completely pointless and cheesy, then she couldn't stand it. There were some of them she had liked in the past, and she trusted Cleo's judgement on that part. At least Ms. Control wasn't there to shove film poetry down their throats through the entire evening.

She grabbed her red sleepover bag from the floor in the hallway and continued up the stairs with a good feeling in her body. It was going to be a fun night with Cleo, she was sure of that. And she couldn't help but dwell on what Cleo had said earlier about being on top of her... now, that wasn't a bad combination. Horror films and a scared Cleo in the need for some comfort. She could provide that comfort without trouble, and it wouldn't even seem weird to be close to her then. It tended to get sort of awkward when she hugged Cleo multiple times during one day just because of her need to be close to her, but like this, she had a legitimate excuse, so it was all good.

She entered Cleo's bedroom and saw that the brunette had already gotten everything out that she'd need, she'd just have to put the sheet on the mattress and get her sleeping bag out. She really made it too easy for her at times, but that was Cleo for ya' – she always wanted everyone to be comfortable, she worried too much about other people at times, but Rikki didn't complain. It was always nice to be waited on sometimes, because she was just completely lazy herself.

Quickly and quite clumsily did Rikki get the sheet on and somewhat unpacked her bag without messing the entire room up and she hurried downstairs again, just wanting to spend some time with Cleo. It wasn't often that it was just the two of them – mostly they just hung out all three of them, and of course she didn't mind that, because Emma was her friend too, but she felt that sometimes she just needed _Cleo_.

"What do you want to watch while we eat?" Cleo asked her when she entered the living room again, hands stuck into her pockets.

Rikki shrugged, "Let's watch one of your movies first." she said. It probably wasn't such a good idea to watch a horror film while they ate, plus, it was nicer to wait with those until it got darker outside.

Cleo shot her a thankful smile, "Do you wanna watch _You, Me and Dupree_?" she asked then, "It's one of my favourites."

Rikki had never seen the film before, but the cover looked sort of funny as it lay there on the coffee table. She fell into the couch as well and kicked her feet up, "Sure, put it in. Kate Hudson is kinda cute. I loved her in _The_ _Skeleton Key_." she replied, wanting to see how Cleo would react on the 'kinda cute' comment, plus – _The_ _Skeleton Key_ was actually the only movie she had seen her in; that one was much more her style.

Cleo paused as she was reaching for the DVD on the table. Not turning to look at her (this amused Rikki like never before), she slowly – almost nervously – asked, "You – you think she's... cute?"

Rikki raised an eyebrow and lifted her foot up, kicked Cleo lightly on the butt, "Yeah, she's pretty amazing." she said, but felt the need to add – simply because it was the truth, but also just so Cleo was sure –, "I like brunettes more though. I always find them more attractive."

Cleo turned around then, a curious look in her gorgeous eyes, "Like Zane? He's a brunette."

"Yeah..." Rikki said, and couldn't keep that smile off her face. She knew it was mean to tease Cleo this way, but she couldn't help herself. It made her feel better to do this, and when it happened, there were times – like right now actually – when she felt like, perhaps, Cleo actually could like her too, for she acted like it, "I always thought brunettes were hotter. No matter if it's boy or girl, brown hair is sexy."

Cleo swallowed a lump in her throat, and Rikki couldn't help but notice how her left hand searched upwards, playing with a straw of her curly hair. She wasn't even sure if Cleo knew she was doing this, but Rikki was amused and quite satisfied – at least it got her thinking, "I've... I've always liked blondes." she then said, before her hand dropped.

Rikki smirked inwardly as the image of Lewis entered her head. Now, _he_ was definitely blonde. Really blonde; not just Emma blonde, but completely blonde like herself... almost white-haired. She locked her eyes with Cleo's then, holding her in a locked gaze, "Well, what a coincident, I'm blonde and you're brunette." she wriggled her eyebrows for a few seconds, before she reached out and grabbed the DVD from the table, "Let's put this in, shall we?"

It took a moment for Cleo to snap out of it, but eventually she grabbed the DVD, "Yeah..." she murmured, before she turned around and crunched down to get the DVD player going.

Rikki couldn't help but be pleased with herself. Hadn't they just... _flirted_?

–

It was fun watching videos with Cleo while they ate pizza. The film wasn't that horrible (for a romance/comedy) and Rikki was enjoying herself a lot, the pizza was tasty and the company was great. They didn't discuss the hotness of Kate Hudson any further, but Rikki knew that she had given Cleo things to think about, that was for sure.

At one point during the movie, while Kate Hudson's hair looked particularly shiny, Rikki caught Cleo touching her own hair again, a thoughtful look across her face.

It was amusing. And it certainly offered Rikki a ray of hope.

So around eleven thirty, they had both changed into their PJs and were supposed to watch _When A Stranger Calls_. Cleo had made popcorn and they scooted together on the couch, legs intertwined and with the bowl in the middle. It was dark outside and Cleo was scared before the movie even begun.

"Oh, I'm not so sure about this." she whispered to Rikki then, moving closer if it was even possible.

Rikki smiled warmly at her, "Don't worry Cleo, I'll – I'll take care of you."

The worst part of that sentence was that she wasn't even making fun of her like usually – she actually _meant it_.

And so the movie begun and Rikki tried her best to focus all her attention on it, but it was so hard when Cleo's bare legs were pressed against her own bare legs, heat moving between the two of them, radiating through the room. Her fingers were either clutching the bowl of popcorn, or Rikki's own, tightly when things got a bit too scary for her on screen. Rikki was not phased with the story at all; it wasn't even such a scary story, she was just glad that technically, _technically_, they weren't babysitting Kim since she wasn't there, because had they been, Cleo might have freaked out just a wee bit more.

"Oh my God..." Cleo breathlessly whispered, her eyes glued to the screen, following every movement, "Don't go in there, don't go in there..." she chanted in a murmur, and Rikki could only watch her, caught by the entire situation, and though it was a weird time to notice this, she couldn't help but admire how perfect Cleo looked in the light from the TV, glowing spectacularly. "No!" Cleo then exclaimed, wildly shaking her head, "I told her not to go in there!" her head whipped around, and Rikki couldn't move before she was caught staring, "...what?" the brunette questioned.

For once Rikki didn't know what to say. "I eh..." she paused, "I – I thought you didn't like these movies?" she settled for then, daring not to comment on the fact that Cleo completely caught her.

Cleo smiled warmly at her, love shining through her eyes, "They're not so bad." she informed her, before she turned around again, to watch the rest of the film – there wasn't much left, Rikki could tell, so perhaps she should just let her. It was kind of hard though, when all she wanted was to kiss her.

Would it be so wrong? Seriously, would it be so horrible?

Right now, glancing repeatedly to the side to catch small stolen glances of her best friend, Rikki thought that maybe it wouldn't be so horrible. When they were like this... she, she was so sure that Cleo felt something for her as well. She had flirted back earlier, the blonde was sure of that. And none of them had a boyfriend, all she could do was... try. She really should try, shouldn't she?

She was going to try.

During the rest of the movie she stared straight at the screen, but she didn't catch a glimpse of what was on it, she was too focused on trying to figure out how to break it to Cleo. How do you say something like that, how do you phrase it? She had never been good with these things, she had always avoided them, avoided emotional entanglements, but she couldn't avoid it. No matter if Cleo knew or not, she was already in way too deep. She might as well just get it done, and not in the lousy way that she and Zane had gotten together. It was supposed to be perfect.

As the credits rolled across the screen, Cleo flipped off the TV and turned to face Rikki on the couch, a smile across her gorgeous face, "I'm so glad I watched that, it was good!" she smiled.

Rikki mustered a smile as she nodded her head, "Yeah, they're good these movies... why do you think I watch them?"

Cleo chuckled lowly and flipped one of the last popcorns into her mouth.

Rikki bit her lip in wonderment and looked up then, deciding to just get it over with, pull herself together and get it said. If she got shot down, she'd take it from there, "Hey Cleo? Can I... can I talk to you about something?"

The other girl seemed to catch the seriousness of the situation, because for a moment she had a worried look across her face, and right after that she nodded shortly, "Sure..." she said, and readjusted herself on the couch, "What's up, Rikki?"

Reaching for her hands to hold them in her own, Rikki took in a deep breath, getting ready to get it said. What should she do now? Just.. blurt it out? She opened her mouth, and was just about the speak, when the phone started ringing on the table and both of them jumped into the air, completely surprised. Not only were they they in the middle of something pretty serious, but they had also just seen a movie where the house phone played a major part.

Cleo placed a hand on her beating heart and reached for the cordless phone, and as she placed it against her ear with a, "Hello?" she sat down on the arm of the couch. A relieved smiled swept across her face, "Oh... hi _Emma_."

Rikki rolled her eyes, partly in annoyance, but also frustration, and she pushed herself off of the couch and went into the kitchen to find something to drink. She opened the cabinet above the sink for a glass and knew in exactly which cupboard she'd find the chocolate to make chocolate milk. She then opened the fridge and as Cleo spoke with Emma, talking about the movie and their evening so far, and asking how Emma and Ash were doing, she mixed her drink, on purpose blending a couple too many teaspoons of chocolate in there.

She took a sip of her drink then and immediately felt more relaxed – now she could think more clearly. She turned back around and leaned against the kitchen table as Cleo spoke with Emma.

"No," the brunette said with a stiff smile, "I haven't done it yet, but I will soon Emma – don't worry about me." there was a pause and Rikki could tell that she was slightly annoyed with their friend for some reason, "I _know_ that, Emma." Cleo continued and shot an eye roll in Rikki's direction, which the rebel found very amusing, "...yes, of course I will. Why don't you just go back to Ash and leave us be, huh? I'll talk to you in a few days." she paused again, "_Yes,_ bye." she confirmed and hung up the phone then, with a drawn-out sigh.

"What'd she want?" Rikki asked her then and finished off her chocolate milk. She let the cup be and went around the kitchen island to throw herself onto the couch as well.

Cleo slid down from the arm of the sofa and onto it, sitting just by the end of Rikki's feet, "She just wanted to hear how we were doing – probably concerned to know if my house was whole after you've been here for six hours."

Rikki made a face in her direction, "Haha."

"I've – I've got something I need to talk to you about." the brunette said then, a serious expression written across her beautiful features, "You had something... you wanted to say too, right?"

Rikki pulled herself up so she was sitting a bit more upright as she curiously looked at Cleo. What did she have to say now? So suddenly right after Emma called her? What were they up to? Did it have something to do with the secret thing they shared in the café right before Emma had left earlier? Whatever it was, Rikki was sure that her own could wait, this was probably more important anyway. "Sure, I did..." she trailed off, "But it can wait. What do you have to say?"

Since Rikki had pulled herself a bit more together, there was more room on the couch, so Cleo scooted closed, so they were about as close as they had been before the phone had interrupted them. "It's just... I don't know how to say this Rikki, it's kind of hard for me, but..."

Now her curiosity was seriously peeked, "But what?"

"But there was another reason I broke up with Lewis, I-" she twisted and turned her arms, playing with her fingers like she usually did when she was nervous about something. "I did it because I thought that maybe I, maybe I, you know, could actually like... and then Emma told me to say it, so here I am, I think that perhaps, maybe I do like-"

Rikki placed a hand across her mouth, afraid of what was going to come out of her mouth, yet anticipating the moment, because there was a huge possibility that maybe the last word would be 'you'. It was nothing like Rikki had hoped, but the last six hours had proven to be somewhat flirty and it had given her that ray of hope – perhaps Cleo did like her too, she had thought. And here she was, probably admitting it. And Rikki hadn't gotten a chance to say it herself. She had to do that.

"Cleo," she whispered then, finding it hard to speak in an ordinary voice, "I have a feeling what you're gonna say, and before you do so, I need to say something as well."

Cleo stared at her, her mouth still wide open beneath the palm of Rikki's hand, but none of them moved from their positions. Cleo's eyes were wide as well, but they were curious, yet scared, and Rikki locked her blue ones with them.

"I like you, Cleo," she said then, dropping her hand from her mouth and to her lap, "I have no idea why or how it happened, but I like you. I've wanted to say that to you for a while."

Cleo didn't say anything at first, she just watched Rikki in surprise, blinking again and again, her lashes caressing the soft skin beneath her eyes. Her hand moved then, slowly to Rikki's and she sneaked her fingers into hers. "...I think that perhaps, maybe I do like... you." she whispered, repeating and finishing the sentence she had started earlier.

Rikki could feel that smile on her face as her eyes locked with Cleo's again. It was such a weird feeling, that of happiness. She was pretty sure that this was the happiest she had been in all her life. It felt pretty damn awesome to have gotten it said and to know that the feeling were reciprocated.

"Can I-" she paused as she reached a hand out, wanting to reach for the back of Cleo's head, to pull her closer, "can I try something?"

Cleo breathlessly nodded and Rikki completed her movement, gently pulling Cleo closer and closer, slowly, until their faces were only inches apart, and she could feel Cleo's rapid breathing on her upper lip, feel the anticipation pricking all over her body, as they paused, both had their eyes closed, firmly, as their lips touched and everything seemed to come crashing down for Rikki, because she was sure that this was as perfect as it got.

So many times she had imagined what it would be like to kiss Cleo like she used to kiss Zane. So many times she had tried to picture the beautiful brunette before her like that, but nothing came close to what she really felt as their lips caressed each other, their breaths mixed and their tongues battled. Their hands were still, didn't move, as they savoured every moment of their first kiss, focusing on nothing but the feeling of being connected that certain way.

They pulled back then, and as their eyes locked, both of the girls cracked the hugest smiles. Rikki knew that at that moment, that exact moment, she looked spectacularly stupidly happy, but to her it didn't matter, for it was Cleo in front of her, and things couldn't get better than that.

"Emma told you to tell me?" Rikki questioned then, still smiling like a complete fool.

Cleo seemed a bit embarrassed as she said this, her hand still clasped in Rikki's firmly, both of them afraid to move too much, afraid to break the magic, "She's... known for a while, how I feel about you." Cleo mumbled, an amused look across her face, "Apparently I don't hide these things very well."

Rikki bid back her chuckle – no, Cleo certainly didn't. She and Emma had known how Cleo felt about Lewis, perhaps before Cleo herself had even known. She really wore her heart on her sleeve.

"Anyway..." the brunette trailed off, "She kept telling me to talk to you about it, and when we were together earlier, before you came to the café, she told me to tell you tonight. When she called earlier – she was just checking to see if I'd do it."

Now Rikki couldn't help but laugh. That was _so_ Emma. And so Cleo as well, the two of them could be so wonderfully weird at times. Of course Emma would make sure that she got it said. The rebel gently stroked a finger across the palm of Cleo's hand, "Why didn't you just tell me?" she wondered aloud, knowing just how hard it could be to get these things said, after all – she hadn't been able to herself earlier.

Cleo shrugged, a bit shy about it, "I don't know..."

Rikki pulled her closer, placing an arm around her, "You shouldn't have worried. It was easy to tell me."

Cleo gave her a huge grin, "It was..." she trailed off, and with a funny smile, she added, "Like shooting a fish in a barrel."

Rikki shook her head at her and chuckled in amusement, before she pulled her in, placing another kiss on her her full lips. Maybe she should have been quicker to get it said, perhaps they wouldn't have wasted so much time. But still... this way, how they got together, that was pretty damn near perfect.

* * *

_Hey, thank you so much for reading this! I noticed that there wasn't really any Cleo/Rikki (Clikki?) stories in this fandom, and I desperately wanted to change that. I thought that it was going to be fun to try and experiment, but I actually found myself struggling with these two as a couple. To get them together while still staying somewhat true to their personalities was not easy. It was much easier to do that with my Emma/Rikki story. So I had to do a little back and forth on this, but eventually got this done – I hope it doesn't completely suck. _

_Please leave me a comment and tell me what you think. I'd love to hear your opinions. _

_**Disclaimer; **I don't own H2O: Just Add Water, When A Stranger Calls, You, Me and Dupree, Jaws 1 & 2, or The Skeleton Key. I'm simply just borrowing them to play with. _


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